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Mirabile's School for Element Mastery
Mirabile's School for Element Mastery (MSEM) is an Arcane clan founded by the Faes, Mirabile and Stratos, and has since then developed into a full-fledged school for magical learning. History In the year XXXX, a wayward, clanless, young adult Fae by the name of Mirabile started up a modest clan among the Crystalspine Reaches. Her beginning efforts were noticed by the also clanless Fae, Stratos, and together the two finalized the workings of their new clan. Shotly thereafter their territory was marked out, a representative from an older clan who happened to be scouting the area gifted the two dragons the hatchling Autumnleaf as a way to help get them started. The Faes raised the young Tundra as their own in concurrence with tending to their first nest; the relationship between Mirabile and Stratos started out of convenience and not necessarily intimacy. Over the next few years, the two Faes gradually expanded their clan with additions of traveling hatchlings from other clans, Arcane or otherwise. When their first born daughters came of age, the initial team of physical protectors would form, consisting of the Imperial Hera, the Coatl Crimson, and one of Mirabile's and Stratos's daughters, Kalisa, of whom exhibited a surprising amount of physical ability for a Fae. This was also when the clan began to send members to the Arcanist as honorable exalts, including the likes of all of the first born daughters aside from Kalisa. A little more than half a decade after the clan's founding was when Mirabile took initiative on starting her lifetime research. The Fae clan leader was taking increasing interest in every single element present on Sorneith with each addition of a dragon of another Flight's element, and this made her highly curious as to the effects of achieving mastery of each. With collaboration among Stratos, Autumnleaf, and of whom she considered her most scholarly clan members, the idea for beginning a sort of magic school made for training powerful mages of each element came into light. Months of planning began in creating this school, but the majority of the planning came in the form of finding a location for such an institution. Their location in the Crystalspine Reaches was starting to become inefficient for housing the growing clan, and it was agreed upon that this was no proper place for a school. Some scouts ventured out to search Starfall for a suitable location, and soon enough it was reported back to Mirabile of a promising location nestled within the Star Wood Strand. This area was separated from any other surrounding clans and was otherwise much clearer in terms of tree and other foliage volume. The thinkers of the clan then began the several years-long project of preparing this spot and constructing the physical school in the new location. Techniques from various other Flights were involved in this construction as well as hefty amounts of magic. The speed with which the school was completed was indeed an impressive feat, and it was deemed completed with the addition of some powerful enchantments placed by Mirabile which were products of her ongoing magical studies. All clan members soon moved into this new location, and here the structure of the school would be developed in short time. Mirabile, predictably, established herself as the headmistress with Stratos as the second in command. All current dragons with the most mastery in their respective elements were made the initial professors. This would mark the beginnings of MSEM itself, and a year after the completion of all starting curriculum, staff, procedures, and whatnot, the school's first classes began with the first set of enrolled students. Today, the school increases gradually with new additions of professors and other staff. It is wondered among the current residents if eventually the school may need to be moved to a larger, more open space with an increasing size in student and staff body, but Mirabile feels that the Star Wood is a satisfactory location for the school to sit in the years to come. If change ever needs to take place, then so be it. Physical Layout The entirety of the school, all physical structures and utilities taken into account, cover both tree area and solid ground area. The majority of the building is situated on ground, however, as the main core of the school is out of the trees. Surrounding this core are huge trees of the Strand which support various facilities, whether it is classrooms, dormitories, offices, or other features. Even further out reaches the physical protecting force, consisting of not only the guarding dragons themselves but also an invisible wall of magic made to ward out potential intruders. One must have permissions from one of the many staff members of the school to pass through the barrier, and such the same applies if one wishes to depart. Becoming a part of the school as more than just a student, though, grants the knowledge of the command word for penetrating this barrier. At initial glance, then, the school has a mostly circular shape, starting at the school center located on the ground and branching outwards to the trees. The actual buildings of the school are made from scavenged materials thought to have constructed similar buildings from long ago. The engineers of the school have collaborated with various high-standing mages to optimize whatever material they come across for purpose of sturdiness and aesthetic. Most of this material consists of light-colored stones, shaped out to produce a persisting smoothness about the architecture, almost resembling that of the legendary Observatory; locations up in the trees are made with noticeably less and lighter stones. The roofs use much of the same makings, but in specific spots such as the rooms marked out for astronomy, large openings are cut through and covered with glass for optimal viewing of the night sky. Carrying on the vein of openings, there are many windows throughout the school, many of which are not covered by glass. The purpose here is to produce as much natural lighting as possible as to conserve on magical resource which should be allocated to more important matters. Even at night, the rooms of the school remain bright from the glow of the Strand's celestial-like trees, especially for locations nestled among tree branches. In this case, one will find their surroundings to be washed over with a soft blue glow. Many students have commented that this effect is quite calming and beneficial to their studies, so the evening is a popular time for students to sit about in study areas and go about their work. As true to the nature of the Strand, though, one should not become too relaxed in the glow of the trees, else they may never get anything done. The school center is where most dragons spent the majority of their time. This is where common study areas are located as with the library, mess hall, the hatchery, junior school, food stores, and the "announcement hall". This "announcement hall" is where the headmistress or other high-standing dragon come to gather as much of the student body as possible to inform of important information, whether it is a change in procedures, a recent threat to safety, the news of a Flight-wide effort for dominance, the arrival of special guests, or whatever else may require widespread attention. The core of the school is not the most important location in the establishment, though. The magical headmistress's personal chambers are located in the trees on the northeast side of campus, a bit of a distance from the school center in fact. Nearby, her office may be found as well as the office for the co-headmaster. Other high-ranking dragons of the school also have their offices and chambers located primarily in the trees at various other spots, and it is all spread out evenly so students may always be nearby someone of high importance at any given time. Their classrooms have no rhyme or reason to location patterns, but the majority may be found around the school's core. Locations of classes do indeed depend upon what element a class is based around, of course. Carrying on, the school treasury is in fact found underground, in the school basement, and special permission is needed to access it. Not many students know where exactly one could even begin to descend down to the basement, but longtime school members do know that the entrance can be found nearby that of the tree which the headmistress's chambers reside. Other important areas not necessarily situated at the school core include that of the dormitories, all based around the element which residing students have taken to study and enchanted with the corresponding elemental magic for maximum comfort (or challenge for those who do not study their natural element). Out at the borders of the school, just before the magical barrier, are the utilities for physical protection. This includes barracks, the armory, and meeting halls for all the dragons who go about their methods of attack without elemental magic. Junior School As mentioned earlier, the Junior School is located at the core of the main school. It is an area consisting of facilities for the hatchlings of the school, including but not limited to rooms, a common area, a classroom, and a connected passage to the hatchery. It is more akin to a daycare than an actual "school-within-a-school" with the primary caretaker being the Pearlcatcher Sophie, but teaching still does occur, even if it's the most basic of sorts such as not approaching fauna or creatures which appear unknown to you or keeping your magically-caused explosions to yourself. Hatchlings do have free reign of the school, but they are generally expected to be in the Junior School where it is undeniably safer and easier to keep track of them. Enchantments MSEM is, as quite true to primary suspicions, cloaked in many kinds of enchantments and wards, the most notable of which to outsiders is the protective ward surrounding the school. However, the most significant sort of enchantment known to students and staff alike is the persisting Illusion-based charm covering all areas of the school, stopping only at the protective ward outside. It is an enchantment created by Mirabile and helped maintained by the majority of the high-standing mages of the school which seems to bend reality whenever one is looking into these magical halls. For many obvious reasons of size concerns, this enchantment scales down nearly all dragons (and some familiars) to a smaller size, comfortable enough to fit in the spaces of the school but proportional as to maintain the ongoing species size distributions. This effect is most notable in the large species such as Imperials and Guardians and hardly noticeable in many of the Faes. Enrolling students from other clans are often taken aback initially by their potentially drastic change in size, finding it peculiar how they can suddenly look at smaller species nearly eye-to-eye then. Depending on each individual's personality, such as their willingness to mentally adapt, a student may get used to these changes in the matter of days, possibly hours. Of course, this has the opposite effect for dragons who were born and raised within the halls, for when they take their first step outside of school grounds, their size returns to normal, and though this has no harmful effects (aside from some initial disorientation), the young dragon may be frightened by their sudden growth spurt (as in the case of huge dragon species). Many may wonder, what would happen if this size-warping enchantment were to be undone by a trickster or hostile mage? The results would be quite disastrous. The engineers of the school believe that dragons such as Imperials may end up destroying entire wings of the building as there is no area made to hold an individual of that size. It would cause school-wide chaos and potentially spell the end of MSEM as it is known, that is, unless if Mirabile and her favored mages could revert the magic again or take control back. Many precautions are kept around in school rules, however, in regards to dispelling magic, and students are hardly ever told about the workings of the Illusion working around them at all times. The headmistress keeps an optimistic mind about these matters and expects there to be no major difficulties in any recent time. School Social Structure At face value, the residents of MSEM are divided between the staff and the students. Each category divides somewhat deeper from here, most notably in the staff. The staff can be broken into specialized staff, such as the treasurer, the professors, the physical protectors, and the gatherers. Though this is indeed an institute for magical learning, at its heart, MSEM is still a clan, albeit a rather formal one. All non-students view the school as their home, or clan, and the jobs for gathering and protecting the clan have been integrated into the social structure of the school itself. It can self-preserve with members finding the school's food and keeping out invaders, and it will barter and cooperate with other clans. In detail, the subcategories are as follows: * Headmistress ** Or clan leader if this school is viewed from the classical clan perspective. Mistress Mirabile runs this position, but during long periods of absence, her mate Stratos steps in as a substitute headmaster in the meantime. If he is also unavailable, the position falls to their daughter Kalisa, and afterwards, it falls by school seniority. * Professors ** The professors are also the experienced mages of the institute. If a student continuously excels at their craft and maintains a long ongoing relation with the school, they may rise in position to become a professor and teach their craft. While a professor's primary job is to instruct the students, many of them are also responsible for helping out on important school decisions as well as protecting the school with magical offense and defense and joining the gathering troupes. * Specialized Staff ** Miscellaneous staff of the school include that of the Junior School caretakers, treasurer, engineers, cooks, healers, archivists, librarians, janitors, dormitory overseers, among others. Some staff double as professors, possibly alternative lecturers, and others may participate in the gathering of resources for the school body. As the school gradually expands in dragon body, more jobs and positions will spring up. * Physical Protectors ** Dragons, student or not, who are not magically-inclined enough to be a professor or student of magic may find their use come in the form of the school's "physical protection". These are warriors who have little, if any, use of magic in their ways of fighting. As of currently there are four primary "physical protectors" of the school which includes one of the first-born of the founders, Kalisa, two early clan initiates, Hera and Crimson, as well as the more recently-added knight, Adair. Stratos sits as the head trainer of the warriors despite his rather limited physical fighting ability (he generally gets through with charisma). These physical protectors, other than simply protecting the establishment from attackers of all sorts, are in charge of protecting training mages and other warriors who are on the path to serve the Arcanist, and they are the first pick for exploring various parts of Sornieth in search of treasures and other resources. Student categories are more numerous. They cover each element available for study at MSEM, and each element has its own specializations set apart from a general study of the element itself (which all students must undertake no matter the element; they may choose basic learning or opt for the "destructive" qualities of an element). * Students of Arcane **Includes studies of gravity, the special magic of the Crystalspine Reaches and the Star Wood Strand, strange phenomenon related to the hijinks of Arcane magic, and anything Astronomy (constellations, celestial bodies, of that sort). * Students of Light ** Includes studies of the reach of light, of the history of Sornieth, of relics and other scavenged objects, of the manipulation of light via prisms and similar, and of the "science" behind light rays in itself (often crossed with Lightning studies). * Students of Shadow ** Includes studies of the concept of shadow itself (is it truly the absence of light?), of mysteries within the darkest parts of the Tangled Wood, a specialization in magical trickery and mastering such magic, and a study of Dark Matter (crossed with Arcane astronomical studies). * Students of Nature ** Includes studies of specific plants (trees, flowers, fungi, etc.), of the varying cycles of nature, of the longitivity and preservation of nature, of the dogma behind spreading life via nature, and a special route for students to take where they may apply concepts of the Nature flight to other regions (like the ecosystem of the Isles and how life thrives there as an example). * Students of Plague ** Includes studies of specific diseases or general medical material, of the dogma behind survival of the fittest and adaptation, of the controversial topic of necromancy, and of bones/other remains of other organisms and how they succumb to illness. * Students of Ice ** Includes studies of the preserving qualities of Ice, of fossils or preserved artifacts, of blizzards and snowfall, of the relation between the Ice and Water elements (crossed with Water studies), and research behind the topic of the decreasing landmass of the Icefield and how to prevent a potential calamity. * Students of Lightning ** Includes studies of storms, of any topics within the realm of engineering or general science (automations, electricity, machinery...), of energy generation, and of prospects for the technological future of Sornieth where the instructors and students of such strive to push technology usage into all other flights. * Students of Fire ** Includes studies of crafting/metallurgy/toolmaking, of the possible use of lava in fighting scenarios or other, of smoke and steam, of the relation between Fire and the cycle of Nature (crossed with Nature studies), and of mining for precious metals and ores. * Students of Earth ** Includes studies of the history of Sornieth (as shared with Light), of geology, of precious gems, of the strange undead which inhabit Dragonhome (sometimes crossed with studies of Necromancy), and of everything having to do with the Pillar of the World. * Students of Wind ** Includes studies of weather, of clouds and their varying structures, of vortexes and similar formidable forces of Wind, of The Cloudsong, covering primarily its structure and creation, and of navigation, primarily by air but such information can benefit land and sea travel too (anyone wanting to travel any manner of long distance should always consult student sof Wind). * Students of Water ** Includes studies of differing bodies of water (seas, lakes, rivers, etc), of fortunetelling and divination, of waves, currents, and other phenomenon of the sea, of the Leviathan Trench and Spiral Keep with focus on the very deepest parts of the ocean, and of the sustainability of life by or in Water (crossed with Plague studies). The headmistress considers implementing studies of the Shade, but she is hesistant not only due to categorization of such a topic but also by the dangerous qualities behind it. Perhaps there may be a willing dragon in the future who may choose to lead such studies. Category:Arcane Category:Mighty Lair Current Residents *Mirabile - Clan Matriarch/Headmistress/Head Professor of the Arcane Element *Stratos - Secondary Headmaster/Ambassador to Allied Clan/Head Trainer of Warriors *Kalisa - Physical Protector/Insect Catcher *Hera - Physical Protector/Hunter/Forager *Crimson - Physical Protector/Architect *Autumnleaf - Primary Healer/Professor of the Healing Properties of Nature/Forager *Haruki - Professor of the Reaches of Light/Scavenger *Elanor - Professor of the Phenomenon of Sunrise *Tiamat - Professor of the Destructive Fire Element *Myrkul - Professor of Necromancy *Lani - Professor of the Destructive Wind Element *Hanuel - General Professor of the Wind Element *Silvan - General Professor of the Nature Element/Forager *Warden - General Professor of the Ice Element/Hunter *Tarla - Professor of the Destructive Ice Element *Arian - Overseer of the Ice Dormitories *Nympha - Overseer of the Water Dormitories/Fishcatcher *Carlotta - Thrall of Myrkul *Tanya - Professor of the Chaos of Lightning *Scylla - Professor of Waves and Other Phenomenon of Water *Chai - School Treasurer *Swift - General Professor of Lightning *Keeva - Assistant Professor to Swift *Asra - Professor of the Trickery of Shadow *Obsidian - Primary School Engineer/Digger *Ianthe - Professor of the Ecosystem of the Starwood Strand *Mystica - Professor of the Study of Astronomy *Marva - Head Librarian *Dreamweaver - Assistant Librarian *Tarah - General Professor of the Earth Element *Missy - Nest Supervisor/Assistant Treasurer *Sophie - Hatchling Caretaker/Alternative Professor for the General Arcane Element *Safadel - Professor of the Study of the Crystalspine Reaches *Delana - Healer/Fishcatcher *Honeysuckle - i honestly do not even know *Adair - Physical Protector *Empress - Professor of the Study of the Preserving Element of Ice *Chauntea - Professor of the Study of Forestry *Auril - Gatherer for the Southern Icefield/Professor-in-Training *Livingston - Strange golem/dragon(?) mix found on border of Sunbeam Ruins and Shifting Expanse, currently the subject of study by Myrkul and Haruki *Sparx - Gemcutter/Appraiser of valuables *All exaltees - students Primary Clan Allegiance Category:Arcane Category:Mighty Lair Category:Clans